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 |  It's about adventure! Life, Scouting, Family, writing what else is there? |
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WELCOME TO: GEMINI RISING   UPDATED INTRO 25 OCT 2021: Just a little about me. I've been married for 30 years in NOV this year!! and currently live in Southern California, but I grew up in New Hampshire. I've got 2 boys in their teens. I work as a 911 dispatcher for LAPD. I enjoy my job a lot. I love to write, but since I've been so involved with the Boy Scouts program since 2015 (now Scouts BSA since girls were invited to come on board) I haven't written much. I hope to get back to more writing soon, as I'm scaling back my BSA commitment. Update on this: I was able to get out 2 stories that were previously published. The update/publishing is going slow. I like to get out in nature, take walks around Castaic Lake, drink coffee and watch football. Here's a little bi about my zodiac. GEMINI: Gemini, the sign of the Twins, is dual-natured, elusive, complex and contradictory. On the one hand it produces the virtue of versatility, and on the other the vices of two-facedness and flightiness. The sign is linked with Mercury, the planet of childhood and youth, and its subjects tend to have the graces and faults of the young. When they are good, they are very attractive; when they are bad they are more the worse for being the charmers they are. Like children they are lively, and happy, if circumstances are right for them, or egocentric, imaginative and restless. Their good qualities are attractive and come easily to them. They are affectionate, courteous, kind, generous, and thoughtful towards the poor and suffering - provided none of the activities resulting from expressing these traits interferes too greatly with their own lives and comforts. Geminians can be successful in many walks of life though their general characteristics tend to make them unreliable. They are often skilled manipulators of language, in speech and writing, and may be: debaters, diplomats (though in politics they are more interested in theory than practice), orators, preachers (brilliant rather than profound), teachers, authors, poets, journalists, or lawyers. This is me. I am a Gemini. Pure, Raw, passionate. The NEW focus of this blog is to share my adventures, book reviews, thoughts, opinions, and writing adventures from actual writing, writing/editing tips, marketing, research. I'll get there.  Find me at: WEBSITE: http://www.stephanieburkhart.com FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/StephanieBurkhartAuthor GOOD READS: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4031660.Stephanie_Burkhart YOU TUBE CHANNEL: http://www.youtube.com/user/botrina?feature=mhee Previous GRATITIOUS Warning, that I decided to keep in case I post about something that might offend.  WARNING I intend to be open, honest, and forthright. No topic is off limits from religion to you name it, I'm going there. If you think you might be offended...back up now - this blog isn't for you. For those who "dare"  check out the "Gemini Rising..." |
| Plan on writing an action/adventure short story or a novel? Here are some elements to consider when drafting your story together. When one hears "Action/Adventure," the pulse- pounding James Bond cames to mind. Ian Fleming's novels are fast paced, plot driven, and give Bond a "quest" for him to prove his worthiness. All these are essential elements to telling an action/adventure story. Other notable action/adventure authors include Janet Evanovich and Pat Cornwall. PLOT Most action/adventure stories have a plot that's based on events and action, as opposed to a character driven plot. (Where the character is motivated to learn something about his/herself.) Plots should be unpredicable, making the readers guess as to what is coming next. PACE Action/Adventure stories are fast paced, moving from event to event quickly, hardly leaving the reader time to breathe. SETTING Settings (time and place) are clearly established. Usually adventures take place in an exotic type setting. You can have historical settings, as well. The better researched and defined, the easier it is to picture the story's setting in the reader's mind. HERO/HEROINE The action/adventure hero is not confined to being a man anymore, but the goal of the hero/heroine is the same: to go a quest to prove their worthiness. The hero has a moral code they won't compromise. For example, they won't kill unless in self defense.The hero has a least one exceptional skill. They may be an expert marksman, or run real fast. They may have exceptional vision. This skill helps them along their quest. COMPLICATIONS The main complications to the hero is the immediate threat of physical danger. This heighens the action. SUPPORTING CAST The hero has a good cast in support of the story. Everyone has a "defined" role. There's a best friend, a villian, an informant. The stronger the supporting cast, the stronger the story. DESCRIPTIONS What embodies action is the description of it. What's a more effective description:#1 - Bond ran toward the helipad?#2 - Bond raced toward the helipad? One word - one descriptive word choice can make the difference when it comes to action. Let's expand on this:#1 - Bond ran toward the helipad, his eyes on the helicopter.#2 - Bond raced toward the helipad, blood pounding in his veins.Which sentence captures the sense that it's imperative for Bond to reach the helipad? #2. The description in an action/adventure story shouldn't be lengthy, but it should be enough to picture the sense of urgency behind the action. For me, I think setting is important. It really gives the reader the "flavor" of the story they're reading. Just to bring up Mona again, her story, "To Love a Hero" is set in Bellarus. It's a little dark, a little exotic, hinting of pride. That's setting. You don't need a lot. Just give the reader the taste of it and the imagination will do the rest! Smiles |
| I just became a member of the Classic Romance Revivial and I thought I'd share a link to their website. http://www.classicromancerevival.com/ My first love was being a romance writer and it's something that I'm getting back to. What I love about romance is that usually it has a happy ending. It's a very "uplifting" book. Romances are usually easy to read and they take you different places. The CRR is the heart of Judah Raine who is also a published romance author. The website has "affliate" authors where other romance authors can come together and share their work. There's a great blog that talks about romance and other writers and how to explore the genre on the Internet. With the dawn of the internet books and reading have gotten a bigger audience. Ebooks in the romance genre seem to have taken off and the CRR takes full advantage of it. How many have a Kindle? A Sony Reader? Ebooks are picking up in popularity due to these devices. CRR exposes readers to a variety of subgenres in romance from Western to Paranormal. They also review romances which is nice because it helps readers guide them toward books in the genres they want to explore. I like historicals, regencies, time travel and paranormal romance. I'm not much for a western, but I'll read it if it's well written. As a romance writer, I like to read other romances to help keep me fresh. One author I'm reading now is Mona Risk. She's published with Cerridwen Press and I'm reading "To Love A Hero." What I really like about Mona is that the story takes place in Bellarus - an exotic location. That appeals to me. The characters are very likable and the plot is something modern and different. I'm not much for contemporary romance but Mona makes it fresh by going to Bellurus. As for my own contemporary romance, I wrote them in 2002/2003. "All That Remains" and "Are Your Dirty Little Secrets" are set in modern Manchester, NH where Darrin and Kristina have a bunch of challenges to overcome as they grow as a couple. After Secrets, I wanted to branch out and began exploring more paranormal stories. My next project is a paranormal romance called "The Hungarian" which will be published by Desert Breeze Publishing in May 2010 and I'm very excited about it. Like Mona, I travel to another place - Budapest, Hungary. Ahhh.. the romance of Central Europe. If you get a chance, check out CRR's website. It's a GREAT resource for Romance on the web and a great place to meet and connect with other romance authors. Also, check out Mona's website. It's plenty of fun. http://www.monarisk.com/ Have a romantic day! Steph |
| Ah, Portsmouth! I have fond memories of this little town, but not from my childhood, from my years as a 20 something. hehe. One place I visited was of the Isle of Shoals. This set of islands are off the coast of NH and Maine. There are 9 island and 4 belong on NH and 5 belong to Maine. Cpt. John Smith of Ponchahotas fame introduced the islands to the Western World in 1614. One lives year-round on the islands. A famed double-murder took place on Smuttynose Island in the 1800s (the basis for the book and movie "The Weight of Water"), and New Hampshire's most famous poet of the 19th Century, Celia Thaxter, was raised there, the daughter of lighthouse keeper Thomas Laighton. I had a chance to visit the islands when I was younger, about 20 something. I had just married my husband. ( I was young when I got married - 23) and I wanted to show him the rich variety of my New Hampshire home, so with my friends, Idgy, Karen, and my sister, Christine, we set off. I remember we caught the boat in Portsmouth and sailed right on over. It was a lazy summer day with not much to do but enjoy the view. I did get to see a bridge where it lifted up between the two towers and I enjoyed watching that. I had never seen that type of bridge before. One of my most treasured personal pics is of me, Brent, Idgy, Alyssa, and Christine on the island looking out. If I can span it, I'll post it a little later on. As a side note: I think the isles would make a great romantic setting for a story. I never visited Portsmouth when I was a kid. Portsmouth has a rich history, though. I didn't actually getting around to visiting it until I was older. I would come home from military leave and go up with my friends, Idgy, Karen, or Alyssa. I remember one time, Idgy and I explored Strawberry Banke, an old neightborhood that was a reinactment from colonial days. Very cool. Portsmouth has a rich history of being a "navy" town. It also was the home of Pease Air Force Base which has since been closed. Interesting Historical Note: Paul Revere rode to Portsmouth from Boston to tell the residents that "the British were coming." Portsmouth even has a bewery which I visited. I love the local/regional beweries. The beer is always so much fresher, but I can't remember the name of it. Redhook, I believe? I haven't been to Portsmouth in years, but I have fond memories. Anyone else have a thought on Portsmouth? I hope you've enjoyed learning a little about this NH gem. |
| The following questions came from "The Fiction Writer's Connection." Here's a link: http://www.fictionwriters.com/tips-query-letters.html My responses are in red. I'll be posting thoughts on tradtional and self publishing options. **** Who needs a query letter? If you are working on a novel and intent to venture into tradtional publishing, you need a query letter to attract an agent. If you are going the self publishing route, you don't really need one. Who wouldn't use a query letter? Poets and short story writers generally don't need them. It depends on the requirements of the publisher. What is the purpose of the query letter? It is to entice literary agents to represent you to traditional publishers. If a literary agents agrees to represent you, you've got your foot in the door in the tradtional publishing market. Do I really need an agent? If you want to approach small press publishing without one, that's fine. Small press publishers are generally more open to writer's without literary representation. There are numerous romance small press publishers who will accept you without representation. You have to research the publisher to find out what they need. What is a query letter? A query letter should tell an agent what your project is, interest them, in fact HOOK them, so they will ask to see your project in your entirety. You want to keep a query letter about one page length, single space. That doesn't leave much more for you to HOOK them. Keep this mind: Summarize your novel in one-two paragraphs. Hook. Hook. Hook. Focus on the conflict of the novel. Note the theme. Next, if you have credits, liste them. Don't forget to put your word count in the query letter. Words counts are important to agents. Most competitive books have word counts between 75,000-125,000. Don't go over that. Especially if you're a first time author who is unproven. Be polite. Be humble. Don't sound arrogant. A little humility goes a long way. If you have a brisk attitude in your letter, it will come across. Do a little homework. Google that literary agent to see if they have a blog. Hang out on the blog for a little bit and see what they're like. Is someone you want to pitch your story to? Find out what their requirements are for submitting. A little homework goes a long way. Any thoughts, comments, suggestions? Do you need a query letter? A literary agent? No, but it helps, especially if you want to be published by the "big" tradtional publishers. |
| Book Review for: “Sex with Kings” Written by: Eleanor Herman Harper Collins Publishers ISBN: 978-0-06-058544-0 $13.95 5 Stars Herman takes her readers on a delightful romp through history and gives us a taste of what its like to have sex with kings. Masterfully written and easy to read, history comes alive in ways the reader doesn’t expect. Herman takes a look at some of history’s most famous kings: France’s Charles VII, Francois I, Henri II, Louis XIV and Louis XV. She also gives us a peek into English kings as well, including Edward III, Henry VIII, Charles II, and even Prince Charles. Sex with kings was an art and no one was more skilled than the royal mistresses. Herman points out that the kings usually gave their hearts to their mistresses – their wives were very rarely treated with the same affection. Louis XIV fell in love with his last mistress, Madame de Maintenon while she was serving as a governess to the children he had with his second mistress, Madame de Montespan. While he did have affection for his wife, it wasn’t the grand passion he reserved for his mistresses. There was a lot to consider if one was going to have sex with a king. The first consideration was the fine art of giving him pleasure. The mistress had to appeal to his sensual side. Very rarely were their wives chosen for their sensuality. Henri II of France clearly preferred Diane de Poitiers over his wife, Catherine de Medici. After nine years of marriage, Henri had yet to have a child by his wife because he spent so much time with Diane. An agreement was worked out were Diane would work Henri up and then she’d send him to Catherine to finish the job. Mistresses had appearances to keep. Generally, they didn’t scold or throw fits. They were always in a good mood – even if they weren’t. They never frowned. They had to enjoy the king’s hobbies, even if they didn’t. After all, the benefits outweighed the discomfort. Mistresses were usually paid well. The king provided everything she needed or wanted – and he usually took care of the bastard children. Herman points out the children the king usually had with his mistresses were healthy and thrived. The children with his wife were usually sicker. This was due to the fact the royal bloodlines were intermingled. Marie-Theresa, Louis XIV’s wife, was a sickly woman and short in stature due to her family’s in-breeding. Out of their six sons, only one grew to adulthood, and he resembled his mother in her dull, unattractive looks. Mistresses were provided with jewels, apartments, real estate, and titles. Most of them knew better than to engage in political intrigue with the king, but some tried. Diane de Poitiers almost ran the government for Henri II, but his grandson, Louis XIV, didn’t care for his mistresses to be active in his political life. The book ends with Herman taking a look at modern day mistresses, Wallis Simpson and Camilla Parker-Bowles. While times change, the allure of having a mistress does not. Herman’s writing is brisk and sharp. Her anecdotes about the various kings throughout history are interesting. The book includes several color portraits of various royal mistresses and a reader’s guide to help sate the reader who demands more. “Sex with Kings,” is a book that is hard to put down. |
| Every book needs a blurb. But what is a blurb? It's a 150-200 word tease of your book. Blurbs can also be quotes from other authors or review agencies used to tease your book. What do you use a blurb for? Mostly, they're used for the back cover tease of your book, but it could be used in other places as well. You can use them on your web site and promotional material. Some places I think blurbs would be effective: Amazon.com Review of the item B&N Review of the item Good Reads Where can you get blurbs? Well, you can solict from review agencies like Reader Views, ForeWord Magazine, Kirkus, and of course, other authors in the genre you're writing about. An example of a quote blurb - "A thrilling mystery," SG Cardin, author of "The Wolf's Torment." When you tackle the 150-200 word blurb think of these elements: Set the mood, scene, or conflict. Try to convey what makes your book unique. Use question marks to intrigue the reader More action verbs, less adverbs REMEMBER - Blurbs are not summaries - tease, tease, & tease. The first time you put the blurb together may not be your best effort. Rewrite, edit, & rewrite. Very few get the blurb right the first time they draft it. So here's a "blurb" proposed for my novel, "The Wolf's Torment." I'd love to hear your thoughts. Does this tease you? Intrigue you? Or make you snooze.... Be honest. ****** Moldavia – dark, mysterious, a country steeped in mythical legends of vampires, werewolves, and witches. For Crown Prince Mihai, he is indoctrinated to the brutal truth when he witnesses the brutal slaying of his mother by a witch. Wanting to control his own destiny, Mihai goes to England for a modern education intent on modernizing the country, but when his father recalls him to Moldavia for his royal duties, his life takes a stunning turn he’s been trying to avoid when his best friend, Viktor, is bitten by a werewolf. Driven by demons Viktor cannot control, he struggles to maintain his humanity, yet his actions threaten to dismantle Moldavia and Mihai’s life. |
| My note: I had the opportunity to read this before I read "Push Not The River" and I totally enjoyed the story. It put me in touch with my "roots." Steph Against a Crimson Sky By: James Conroyd Martin ISBN: 0-312-32682-3 St. Martin’s Press $24.95 4.5 Stars “Against a Crimson Sky” takes a gripping historical look at the final partition of Poland (1795), it’s people, and tells the personal story of the Stelnickis. Martin uses a grand, sweeping style reminiscent of epic storytelling to paint a vivid picture of the era. “Against a Crimson Sky” is a book that can easily be visualized on the movie screen. The story beings in 1794 shortly after the Russians invade Poland before the country’s final partition. Zofia Gonska is pulled from a river escaping death. Switching scenes, Countess Anna Berezowska-Grawlinska (minor Polish nobility) makes her way back home to Sochaczew after the Russian invasion of Praga and reunites with her lover, Count Jan Stelnicki. As Poland is finally taken over by Russia, Prussia, and Austria, Anna and Jan get married and start their family. Zofia, Anna’s cousin, had previously tried to keep Anna and Jan apart. Now, she finds herself drawn to the peasant boy who saved her, Jerzy. Zofia though is like a bird that can’t stay still and the peasant life isn’t for her. She leaves Jerzy and returns to Praga, a town just outside of Warsaw, and gives birth to her daughter, Izabel. Anna and Zofia make peace, yet Jan finds married life unable to satisfy his restless nature. When Napolean hints that he would return Poland to the Poles, Jan and his friend, Pawel, join the Emperor’s legion, leaving Anna to raise their three children, Jan Michel, Tadeusz, and Barbara. Anna, uncomfortable with the local magistrate, Dolinski, leaves Sochaczew and moves in with Zofia at Praga. As Napoleon marches across Europe, Anna and Zofia, as members of Poland’s nobility, help to entertain various European dignitaries, including Russia’s Czar, Alexander, and even Napolean himself. Zofia is always in the thick of Polish intrigue while Anna prefers to keep her eyes on her boys who have gone to military school. After years apart, Jan is reunited with Anna in Sochaczew as their boys join Napolean’s march into Russia. This time it’s Anna who leaves Jan to work as a nurse in Praga. As Napolean’s march into Russia holds the promise of a reunited Poland, will Jan and Anna’s marriage withstand another separation? The end of the novel is surprising and satisfying. The book’s historical backdrop is intriguing and the supporting cast is not only dynamic, but strong in it’s own right. Zofia, Pawel, Charlotte, and Dolinski have their own interesting stories to share. Anna is a vibrant lead character in her own right and is a steady, grounding force during the turbulent times of the book. Anna’s nobility, whatever the situation, always shines through. The pace is quick and the writing is sharp. The book is a sequel to “Push Not the River,” but stands on it’s own. For an exciting look at Poland’s struggles and the human condition in the face of war, “Against a Crimson Sky,” is a book that will keep the reader turning the page. |
| Thursday is my California day and unfortunately, I haven't been able to blog about Calfornia the past couple of weeks. This week I'm making the time and I'm going to tie it into a writing "theme" - setting. Setting is so important in a story. It sets mood, tone, and the background that your characters are going to be playing in. For me, researching a setting before writing is so important. It helps bring an authencity to the story. How does this fit into California? California can inspire the perfect setting. For me, I find California Wine Country very inspirational for my writing. California has great gifts - a long seacost, the Heart Castle near San Simeon, Wine Country, and San Fransisco. I live near Los Angeles, and it's pretty crowded, but there are plenty of places in Southern California that can inspire one - Catalina Island for one. All the above locations I mentioned inspire my "romantic" muse. I have the rough idea to write a romance that takes place in the late 1930's near in the heart of Napa Valley. Sigh... If only I could find the time to write it. The first time I saw Sonoma and Napa Counties I fell instantly in love. It reminded me of home with all it's greenery. And there's something about wine and grapes I find romantic. Did I tell you I loved "Bottle Shock?" So when getting ready to write your story, give your setting extra thought. Research. Visit it if you can. You'll find it'll pay off. I'd love to hear your thoughts on setting and what you think is a romantic settings. Go out and inspire the muse! Steph |
| From Publisher's Weekly: Sony to go EPub only Sony plan to announce today that it will use only the ePub e-book format in its e-book store by the end of the year and will cease using its proprietary DRM, according to the New York Times. Other than that, not much else is going on. Dan Brown's latest book is due in September and I believe it's called THE LOST SYMBOL. *** One thing I've noticed is that ebooks are gaining in popularity as of late. They still aren't as in demand as print books but with the popularity of the Kindle, ebooks are picking up as of late. Kindle is already available, and I think Sony's ebook reader is too. B&N's ebook reader will be avail next year. The advantages? Saves paper. books are cheaper. They can carry multiple books on a reader. Saves space. Never goes "out of print." The disadvantatges? Eye strain. The ebook reader itself is expensive. The Kindle is $299. Sony is a little cheaper, I think. The ebook reader can break. Hard to read in sunlight. Several of my books are avail on ebook including ACROSS THE FICKLE WINDS OF HISTORY from Lulu. Anyone with an ebook want to weigh in? Ebooks are inovative - some would argue they're the future. And with today's technology they certainly look forward to the future. **** Steph's Wednesday Writing Tip: When writing dialogue, identify the speaker only if you have to so as to avoid confusion. Use simple tags. "said" and "replied" are generally the most accepted. Stay away from tags such as snarled, hissed, and gushed. Have a great writing week! |
| Thinking of writing some fantasy? Here's an overview. Enjoy. Steph ***** When one thinks of fantasy, JRR Tolkein comes to mind. Peter Jackson's wonderful movie trilogy of Tolkein's work highlights all the elements which embody the fantasy genre. Fantasy doesn't deal with the "theoretically possible," (that's Science Fiction) but the impossible. Fantasy creates new worlds and embodies them with a degree of familiarity to make them appealing. In fact, it's possiblily the most popular children's genre, appealing to children and teenagers with their coming-of-age stories. Fantasy, however, is not an easy genre to write for. While there are no set rules, there are "standard elements" which are expected to be in a fantasy story. As you flesh out your stories keep the following elements in mind - you'll need to weave them into your story: create a fantasy world, establish myths, legends, and fairytales, establish rules for your magic, define your archetypes, draw maps, flesh out the characters' journeys, and establish a suspension of disbelief that is believable. As you prepare to write your fantasy story, you've got to create your world. "The Lord of the Rings," used a pre-industrial setting, akin to Earth's middle ages, and this is usually used in most writings, however this setting isn't set in stone. Growing more common are futuristic worlds. Drawing maps goes hand-in-hand with this element. It allows you, the writer, to visualize your world, its countries, the land, and the people who populate your world. Next, you have to establish your world's myths and legends - an imaginary past, if you will. Most myths and legends have their roots in what's considered eternal truths. (good vs evil, for example) Magic is crucial to your fantasy world. Without it, logical explanations would have to be found for your fantastical events. The fantasy genre is grounded with archetypical elements - the wise old wizard, the young hero, the divine child, a quest, dragons, unicorns, a walled castle, a wasteland, and a dying king are some examples. They're expected to appear in some form or another in the genre. Fantasy writing usually deals with journeys or quests, and nothing connects better with young readers as a "coming-of-age" story. As we follow our hero on his/her journey, we get familiar with our fantasy world that we've created. The fantasy genre does require the reader to suspend their belief about the natural world, but that doesn't mean, you, the author, can let anything slip by. Every world has laws and rules that can't be broken. By keeping your characters grounded within the laws of your world, you make them believable. By staying true to these elements, you should establish the back bone of a good fantasy story. |
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I love gyros. We have a Greek church and restaurant in town and a festival. But... I'm not there. 